Alice's Last Stand
by Anrheithwyr
Summary: She can't find Neville, or Frank, or Marlene. They've all disappeared, and she's alone. Alone, and lost, and even a little scared.


_**Written for the 'HP Potions Competition' by Black Boxed, for the category **__**Essence of Insanity**__** – Write about a mental hospital or anyone who has gone insane.**_

_**Also written for the 'If You Dare Challenge' by Slytherin Cat, using prompt # 591, shattered mind. **_

_**It's Alice, guys. Alice FREAKING Longbottom. Normally, I say enjoy. You are not meant to enjoy this. That is all. **_

….

Alice Longbottom was a bit confused. She wasn't quite sure _where _she was, only that it was _not _her home. Her husband wasn't here, and her son wasn't here. There was a strange, muttering man in the corner, and a silent man in the bed next to her, but Alice's son was gone. Neville, who was only ten months old, and really needed to be watched at all times, lest he get into trouble. Alice knew her son was very curious about the world around him, but that still didn't make it any less dangerous when he had tried to tip over her vases, to look at the flowers inside. Marlene…she remembered Marlene was supposed to be watching Neville-so, where was Marlene?

Alice ran around the room, which seemed to have turned into her house, calling their names wildly, but no one answered. Even Frank seemed to have disappeared, seemingly without a trace, and Alice didn't know what to do. _Call someone. _Who? She was an Auror-this was the sort of thing _she _was supposed to be handling all the time, but not her own family. Where had everyone gone? Why was she all alone? She didn't want to be alone, it scared her. The blonde woman let out a little sob, sinking to the floor. Tears began to flood down her cheeks, and she shuddered, calling out, "Neville!"

No one answered.

She was all alone.

Everyone else was gone, except for her.

_All alone. _

….

"What do you think?" Augusta Longbottom asked the aide, a young woman named Martha. Inside the Janus Thickey Ward, Augusta's daughter-in-law seemed to be having a bit of a meltdown. Augusta had been called in after Martha failed to calm Alice down. The woman inside was wandering around the ward, occasionally demanding of the air to bring her son back. She kept calling one of the end tables 'Marlene', and demanding it told her where Neville was, since he was probably hungry, and she wanted to feed him. Augusta was more than a little disturbed by this sight, considering the fact that Marlene McKinnon had been dead for twelve years, and her son was now a young man, capable of taking care of himself.

"Is she fine?" Augusta asked the aide sharply, looking at her with a coldness in her eyes that Martha was not used to. She had never met someone as haughty and opinionated as Augusta Longbottom; it kind of scared her more than the situation with Alice, inside. "My daughter-in-law, I mean. Is she fine, or has she finally gone off the deep end? Isn't there some sort of potion or spell that can help calm her down? I mean, just look at her-"Augusta pointed at the woman inside, who was now collapsed on the floor, sobbing. One of the other patients moved towards Alice, patting her hair softly; Martha could just tell, from a distance, that he was singing to her. "She's obviously not well; can't you put her somewhere else where she won't hurt anyone?"

"This _is _the place you go to keep you from hurting anyone else, ma'am. It's the Janus Thickey Ward-last resorts only, these lot. Got nowhere else to go, no way of curing them except time and as much hope as you can muster." Martha frowned, watching the other man pick up Alice, who was still convulsing and writhing. He began rocking her back and forth like a child, and Martha could make out a few of the lyrics, even through the glass window. "I thought you'd been in charge of her for a while."

"I am." Augusta said curtly, putting on her best offended look. "I'm only merely concerned for everyone else's safety as well. My _son _is also in there, you know. My only son, his husband. He's been quiet ever since he was admitted here; I think that Alice has something to do with it-perhaps she scares him into silence. Personally, I _was _always for having them separated-this fit only proves my point that Alice is clearly mentally unstable. She's got a shattered mind, doesn't remember anything. That woman is living in her own fantasy world, and I don't want her hurting anyone else in one of her psychotic fits."

Martha wondered how one could be so cruel to their own family; if someone in Martha's family had ended up this way, just a convulsing, mad shell of a person, she wouldn't have been so rude. Martha nearly said something to Augusta, before remembering that Augusta Longbottom had donated a lot of money towards St. Mungo's-specifically, victims of the Cruciatus curse, who often _did _end up in places like the Janus Thickey ward; this rude, cold, uncaring woman in front of her had the power to get Martha fired, if she felt so inclined. Martha would have to be careful around her.

That didn't mean she couldn't help out Alice, though.

….

Alice looked up to see her mother-in-law, Augusta Longbottom; Alice and Augusta had never really gotten along, before. Augusta thought her only son was too good for a half-blood like Alice, who came from no prominent background. Augusta seemed to disapprove of everything about Alice, from the way she dressed, to the way she was raising Neville. Alice usually tended to avoid her at family gatherings, but Frank didn't quite yet get that his mum and his wife didn't get along very well. He kept inviting her over for dinner, or to visit Neville.

"Hello, Mother," Alice said politely; Augusta had insisted on the day of Alice and Frank's wedding that Alice call her 'Mother'. Alice still wasn't sure _why_, to this day, but she found it easier to just go along with Augusta, rather than question the every move of such an imposing woman. Someone like her-someone who wielded such power-was not the sort of person Alice really wanted to get into a fight with. "It's nice to see you again, on what I feel is such a _lovely _day."

"Hmm." Augusta said, handing her daughter-in-law her heavy overcoat. Alice gave her a shaky smile, wishing she could just find Neville before anyone else realised he was gone. This was just the sort of thing Augusta would use against her for years to come, claiming she was an unstable mum, incapable of taking care of her own child. Augusta would bring it up at parties or social events, as ways to make Alice bad. _See? I told you she wasn't right for Frank. _"It's a bit warm in here, isn't it?" Augusta said, heading past Alice, into the kitchen. "You'll do well to invest in a few temperature charms."

"Yes, Mother." Alice said softly, following behind her. She crossed her fingers, hoping and praying to any god that might possibly still be around that Augusta didn't ask about Neville. She _really _didn't want to have to deal with Augusta's disparaging looks, on top of having to deal with the fact that both her son and her best friend seemed to have disappeared. Where could Marlene have gone-and why would she have taken Neville with her without telling Alice? "I'll deal with that as soon as I can."

"You better. I'm certainly not getting any younger here, cooking to death. Just look at the state of this kitchen-when's the last time you cleaned up? There's bits of food everywhere, and the place is a mess. I bet even this-"she flung open the refrigerator door, sniffing at it, and scowling. "Yes, just as I suspected. A completely unorganised _mess_. Where _have _you been all this time, girl? Rolling in the mud with pigs? Haunting all the local taverns for someone of _your _stature?"

"I've been at work; I'm a Auror, you know, and-"

"Hmph! A _female _Auror? Well, I never. In my day…"

….

Augusta stared in horror as her daughter-in-law grabbed her around the waist, sobbing and babbling incoherently. She seemed to be saying 'Neville' and 'sorry, sorry' over and over, as well as 'gone', 'my fault', and something about 'Marlene', who Alice still seemed to be under the impression was an end table. She was gripping Augusta wildly, crying into the older woman's shoulder as the aide, Martha, looked on, and smiling slightly. Augusta patted the sobbing girl on the back, an awkward and uncomfortable motion.

"There, there, Alice," she said, discomfort obvious in her tone. "It's okay. It's okay. You'll be fine, Alice. Everything is okay, isn't it? That's right, just let it all out. Martha is here to help, right, Martha?" She shot the aid a desperate glance, her entire expression reading _Save me! _Augusta Longbottom did _not _do large, emotional moments. Augusta Longbottom didn't really do _emotion_; mostly, she was a logical, business-driven woman, intent on only certain purposes. But, the words _shattered mind _kept echoing through her head, and she knew that, just this once, she needed to let someone cry on her shoulder.

Even if it made her uncomfortable, and _very wet._


End file.
